If there is one thing North Carolina has a lot of, it’s craft breweries. Especially in the Charlotte area. In the trendy areas like Southend, Plaza Midwood, and NoDa there is seemingly one of every corner. But even nearby towns like Pineville, Matthews, and Concord have a local brewery as well. But with all that craft beer around it can be hard to know where to go and what to try. I personally enjoy beer but I know nothing about it and or what I may like on a menu. So I need all the help I can get. So what is the best of the best? That is determined by the North Carolina Brewers Cup Competition.
The yearly competition is administered by the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild. This year the competition received 873 entries. These were submitted by 122 independent North Carolina craft breweries. And marks the largest commercial beer competition in the Southeast. Winners were selected by certified beer judges from across the Southeast.
There were 36 style-based beer categories and a winner of a gold, silver, and bronze medal was awarded in each category. A few honorable mentions were given out as well. Winners ranged from all ends of the state from Asheville to the coast. But there were a ton of beers (37 in fact) in the Charlotte local area that made the list. And no matter what kind of beer you like there is an award-winning one in that style you can try.
So keep reading to see and learn about each of the local beers that were awarded medals at the 2023 North Carolina Brewers Cup. You can read more about the judging here and see the complete winners list from the entire state here.
